[Williams]

The article is correct but incomplete. Iraq did certainly at one time have WMD's and used them. Iraq did have a nuclear program, etc. The same Sadaam who was giving delusional orders and being lied to later on was also causing some programs to be hidden. The clearest example that comes to mind is when one of Sadaam's sons gave a nuclear scientist materials to hide so the nuclear program could be resuscitated when the UN inspectors left.

I've read a lot of the report and two things are clear: That Sadaam was a real threat and that he respected only the use of overwhelming force. He considered all diplomatic and even military maneuvering short of all-out war, to be a sign of weakness. So much for the idea of using diplomacy and sanctions on these types.

[George Smiley]

If we uncovered buried MiGs, for crying out loud, then there's probably a whole lot of stuff we STILL haven't uncovered.

And some of these weapons sites are thousands of acres in size.

How long do you think it will take to completely inventory them, especially in light of the fact that fighting is still going on?

I say our knowledge is incomplete, and will remain so for at least another decade.